Issue 38, 2024

Exciton diffusion in organic semiconductors: precision and pitfalls

Abstract

Nanometer exciton diffusion is a fundamental process important in virtually all applications of organic semiconductors. Many measurement techniques have been developed to measure exciton diffusion length (LD) at the nanometer scale; however, these techniques have common challenges that the community has worked for decades to overcome. In this perspective, we lay out the principal challenges researchers need to overcome to obtain an accurate measurement of LD. We then examine the most common techniques used to measure LD with respect to these challenges and describe solutions developed to overcome them. This analysis leads to the suggestion that static quenching techniques underestimate LD due to uncertainties in the quenching behavior, while time-resolved exciton–exciton annihilation (EEA) techniques overestimate LD based on experimental conditions, we advance steady-state EEA techniques as an alternative that overcome many of the challenges of these other techniques while preserving accuracy. We support this hypothesis with a meta-analysis of LD measured across various organic semiconductors and measurement techniques. We intend this investigation to provide a framework for researchers to interpret and compare findings across measurement techniques and to guide researchers on how to obtain the most accurate results for each technique in question.

Graphical abstract: Exciton diffusion in organic semiconductors: precision and pitfalls

Article information

Article type
Minireview
Submitted
14 iyn 2024
Accepted
13 avq 2024
First published
13 avq 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Nanoscale, 2024,16, 17761-17777

Exciton diffusion in organic semiconductors: precision and pitfalls

D. B. Riley, P. Meredith and A. Armin, Nanoscale, 2024, 16, 17761 DOI: 10.1039/D4NR02467B

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